Research Opportunities

With the growth of Momcology as a nationally recommended peer support network, we are now being approached to help University and Clinical Researchers to efficiently connect to patient families who may be able to contribute to funded childhood cancer based research and studies. Momcology believes in helping to advance research both financially through fundraising and directly through our experiences as patient families. When we can help coordinate families to research quickly, we believe we are accelerating the potential outcomes available from it. Please see our current open collaborations below.

*Momcology does not receive any compensation for connecting parents to these research opportunites. Momcology will be noted under the acknowledgements of any publications or presentations of study findings as a recruitment resource. All studies listed below have been reviewed by Momcology and determined to be a good fit for our community prior to posting.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute are evaluating whether an innovative home physical activity program improves cognitive late effects (such as difficulties with attention, memory, and processing speed) in children treated with radiation for a brain tumor. Previous research has shown that increases in physical activity can result in improvements in the same brain functions and cognitive skills affected by radiation.

At the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, participants will complete a baseline evaluation, consisting of a short cognitive assessment, fitness test, and blood draw. They will be randomly assigned to either the group that gets the 12-week physical activity program (using an activity monitor and website to track one’s progress) or a waitlist group that does their usual physical activity first. After 12 weeks, participants in both groups will return to the NIH to repeat the same tests done at baseline. Then the group first doing their usual activities will get to do the physical activity program while the other group will be asked to continue doing the program for 12 more weeks on their own. All participants will complete a final brief cognitive assessment at the NIH and questionnaire about the study.

We hope that the home program, which we will plan to fit to your child’s favorite physical activities, will help to improve cognitive functions, as well as physical health, and be fun to do. We also will offer a small compensation after completing each follow-up evaluation, and children will get to keep their activity monitors when they finish the study.

If you might be interested in participating in this study and would like more information, please email (woltersp@mail.nih.gov) or call (240-760-6040) me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Pam Wolters, PhD

Director, Health Psychology and Neurobehavioral Research Program

Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute

OPEN Opportunity:

Hello fellow parents!

My name is Justin Wilford. I’m the father of a boy diagnosed with a mixed-grade glioma (brain tumor) in 2011. Today, he’s 10 years old and although he’s thriving, he still faces a lot of challenges. His journey has inspired me to become a researcher of childhood cancer survivorship at the University of California Irvine. Today, I’m asking you to join me in a research project that helps us understand the social media experiences of parents of childhood cancer survivors.

Through a short online survey, I want to learn more about parent experiences of survivorship follow-up care for their children, and how social media might play a role in survivorship health. The information gathered in this study will be used to create programs that can make survivorship health education easy and useful for busy parents and children. And for helping us, you’ll have the option of being entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift card from Amazon. (All parents who follow the link below and confirm eligibility will be entered into the drawing. Full completion in the research is not required to be eligible for the drawing. Chance of winning will be no less than 1 in 150. For more information on the drawing, see the Study Information Sheet at the link below.)

If you’re a parent of a childhood cancer survivor who is under 13 years old and at least 1 year off treatment, and you’re interested in participating, all you need to do is click on this link: https://is.gd/survivorship

You will be sent to a short, confidential online survey. We estimate the survey will take between 15 and 20 minutes. Your personal information will not be associated with your answers and will be fully deleted after the study is complete.

In the survey, you will have the option to sign up for an hour-long interview about your survivorship care experiences. It is completely optional.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at jwilford@uci.edu . Thanks so much for your time,

Justin Wilford, PhD
Program in Public Health University of California, Irvine

Past Opportunity (Now Closed):

Requirements to participate:

Child are 2-10

Active cancer treatment within the past 6 months

Parent/Guardian living with the child

Parent/Guardian is fluent in English

Letter from Principal Researcher:

Dear Momcology® Families,

Researchers at Boston University are conducting a research study on the sleep behaviors and sleep quality in children who have been treated for cancer. You will be asked to complete a short questionnaire on your child's sleep behaviors and sleep quality. At the end of the survey, there will be an option of accepting or declining an opportunity for a brief phone interview. You will also be able to participate in a raffle for a $50 Amazon gift card at the end of the survey.

Your child is currently in treatment or was in treatment during the last 365 days,

Your child is between the ages of 3 and 18,

You are the person who handles most of the child's medical needs and daily care, and

You are at least 18 years old and can read and understand English.

Letter from Principal Researcher:

Dear Momcology® Families,

Has your child undergone cancer treatment during the past year?

Researchers at the University of Michigan are studying what, when, and why primary caregivers (i.e., parents or other people who provide care at home) tell children with cancer about their illness. The information from the survey will be used to help parents and patients in the future.

Please consider taking this survey if:

your child is currently in treatment or was in treatment during the last 365 days,

your child is between the ages of 3 and 18,

you are the person who handles most of the child's medical needs and daily care, and

you are at least 18 years old and can read and understand English.

Your survey answers will remain completely anonymous and will help the researchers better understand caregiver needs. The survey will take about 25 minutes to complete. Click the button below to learn more about the study and take the survey.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help future caregivers who will be walking in your shoes. Your response to this survey is sincerely appreciated!

Warm regards,

Gregory Yanik, M.D.

Leland and Elaine Blatt Family Professor of Pediatric Oncology

Blood and Marrow Transplant Program

Professor of Pediatrics

University of Michigan Medical Center

Past Opportunity (Now Closed):

Requirements to participate:

Parent of a childhood cancer survivor, At least one year off treatment, Child is younger than 13 years old, Online survey, Approximately 10 minutes in length, No compensation available

Letter from Researcher:

Hello fellow parents!

I’m the father of a boy diagnosed with a mixed-grade glioma (brain tumor) in 2011. Today, he’s a thriving 3rd grader who still faces a lot of challenges. His journey has inspired me to become a researcher of childhood cancer survivorship. And that’s what I want to ask you about today.

I’m looking to learn from parents of childhood cancer survivors. My goal is to learn about parent experiences of survivorship follow-up care for their children, and how social media might play a role in survivorship health. The information gathered in this study will help us create programs that can make survivorship health education easy and useful for busy parents and children.

You will be sent a short, confidential online survey. We estimate the survey will take no longer than 10 minutes. And your personal information will not be associated with your answers and will be fully deleted after the study is complete.

In the survey, you will have the option to sign up for an hour-long interview about your survivorship care experiences. It is completely optional.

We are hoping to interview parents of children who are currently on active therapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. If that describes you, we would like to invite one parent from your family to participate in a short telephone interview. The ultimate goal of this study is to design programs that help parents manage their child’s cancer treatment.

To thank you for your generosity in helping us with this research, participants will receive a $30 gift card.

We hope that you are able to participate in our study. Please Private Message Elizabeth Gage Bouchard if you are interested in learning more, or you can also reach me directly at (716) 829-6748 or by email at eagage@buffalo.edu. I would love to hear from you.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Gage-Bouchard, PhD
School of Public Health and Health Professions University at Buffalo

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